Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/early-chil/5024660/
A Commitment to Developmentally Appropriate Practice
Los Angeles Unified School District provides services through its early childhood division to thousands of children throughout Los Angeles. LAUSD understands that this undertaking must be done with a strong knowledge of why developmentally appropriate practice is so important for young children. DAP is an integral part of LAUSD’s early education program and is written into the division’s belief system. All students have a right to developmentally appropriate and challenging educational programs that integrate learning opportunities with high expectations. For us, this approach to teaching is grounded in the research on how young children best develop and learn, a critical component to high-quality early education. DAP is built on the idea that adult interactions and learning environments are designed to meet young children where they are physically, cognitively, and socially and to move them to the next level when ready.
A Commitment to Professional Development
Because of the crucial importance of adult-child interactions in early childhood programs, LAUSD has made a strong commitment to teachers’ professional development. We are building teachers who are lifelong learners and have a growth mindset. This is an important piece if we want our teachers to continually refine their ...